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Health secretary dismisses pleas to halt CQC inspections

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt has dismissed calls from the RCGP to impose an emergency pause on CQC inspections, warning that it would be ‘big mistake’ to slow down the ‘improvement of practices that aren’t providing high standards of care’.

In the letter to Mr Hunt, RCGP chair Dr Maureen Baker said that the burdens being placed on GPs by the CQC inspection regime, along with pressures to provide seven-day access for routine care, are ‘undermining’ efforts to turn around the current crisis in general practice.

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But despite this, Mr Hunt has insisted that any halt in inspections would be a ‘big mistake.’

Mr Hunt said: ‘We make absolutely no apology for giving the public clear information for the first time on the quality of their local GP services, or for ensuring that hardworking families can access a GP 7 days a week.

‘To halt inspections now would be a big mistake, and slow down the process of improvement for those surgeries which aren’t giving the public the high standards of care they deserve.’

We cannot run a service even 5 days a week let alone 7 days with the lack of resources, funding and demands. I'm working at a 5,000 patient list practice that has no permanent GP for over a year. Runs off locums, some days no GP at all. THAT'S DURING THE WEEK.

The CQC is "icing on the cake", there is some very "basic cake" delivery of clinical services for patients required before spending days hoop jumping for the CQC.

As I said before , the relationship between GPs and the government (hence,JH and DC) is at historically low.If the health secretary chooses to make this relationship even worse , he is preparing himself to become a 'sinner of history' and must bear all the consequences.